Refrigerating apparatus



March 5, 1929. E, L, BARNES 1,704,030

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed July 2o, 192sv 2 sheets-Shea l WITNESSES l v N NENToR.- W 6?., Samy, EuganeLames,

W 0. www@ d ATTORNEYS.

March 5, 1929. E L, BARNES 1,704,030

REFRIGERAT ING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG@ WITNESSES XS 3 Y NVEA/TOR.- wm Q. 76W Eugewllarzs;

A TTORNE YS.

Patented Mar. 5, 19,29.

UNITED STATES A-P.0.'r1:-:1\1T l OFFICE.

EUGENE L. BARNES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BARBER ASPHALT COMPANY, or PHILADELPHA, PEN

vmeINrA.

NSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

application med July 2o,

My invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus `for developing and utilizing the refrigerating effect from the working substance or re- 5 frigerant;-e. g., the evaporator and cooler of systems operating on the compressioncondensation-vaporization cycle. I aim to provide a simple, convenient, compact, eilicient, and inexpensive vaporizing and cooling device. My invention is particularly adapted and advantageous for ,Hooded systems, as they are commonly termed, in which a body of liquid in the low pressure side of the system gradually vaporizes or boils as it absorbsheat from the region or article that it is desired to refrigerate- I have here shown and described an embodiment of the invention suitable for insertion in a refrigerating box or compartment such as the ice chamber of an ordinary household refrigerator. v

In the drawings, Fig. I is a .front-end elevation of a device or apparatus conveniently embodyingmy invention.

Fig. II shows a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus, taken as indicated by the line II-II in Fig. I.

Fig. .III is a plan'view with the upper portion of the apparatus in horizontal section as indicated by the line III-III in Fig. I. p

Fig. IV is a rear view, showing the apparatus in vertical section as indicated by the line iIV-IV in Fig. II. v

As here sho-wn (Fig. I, especially), the apparatus comprises a casingd of substantially rectangular form whose lower portion, at least, is adapted to serve as an ice-forming or freezing-compartment. Above the freezing compartment afforded by the casing 1 is a refrigerant chamber o r drum 2, here shown as cylindricaland as'arranged horizontal -and'lengthW-ise of the casing 1. In the present instance, the drum 2 is enclosed in the upper portion of the casing 1, whose walls slope'upward and inward and connect over the top of the drum in a curved roof, As shown in Figs. II, III, and IV, the side walls of the casing 1 are provided with internal supporting guides 3, preferably in the form of lugs, for the flanged margins of the trays 4. The rear wall of 1926. Serial N0. 123,641.

the casing 1 is provided with end-stops 5 for limiting theinward sliding movement of the trays 4 on the lateral guides 3. For convenience in making various connections thereto, the front end wall 6 of the drum 2 (which also serves as a portion of the front end wall of the casing 1) may be made of 4comparatively heavy'" metal, while .the other portions ofthe casing 1 and of said drum 2 may be of comparatively thin sheet metal. The lower portion of the casing 1, Where the trays 4 are mounted, is provided with a removable closure or door 7, hinged 'at 8 to swing forward and upward to afford free access to .the tray 4 and the interior of the casing 1. lPreferably, the rear end of the drum 2 projects a short distance outside of the casing 1, through the upper portion of its rear wall.

At opposite sides of the casing 1 are cool-l ing devices or units, shown as consisting of tube banks exposed at the exterior of the casing to the atmosphere surrounding the `refrigeratin device, and arranged against the side w'al s of the casing 1. Each of these tube banks has a (cylindrical) upper header 10 with upright tubes 11 depending therefrom and connected at their lower ends into a (cylindrical) lower header 12. The headers 10, 10 and 12,' 12 are located above and below the upper and lower corners of the casing 1, so as to let the tubes 11, 11 lie in direct thermoconductive contact with the casing. As shown in Figs. I and IV, the upper headers 10, l0 are at either side of the drum 2 at a corresponding level, so that for anormal level of liquid refrigerant in the apparatus which will leave a substantial free space in the top of the drum 2, the free surface of the liquid in theV lateral cooling units will be in the headers 10, 10. A suitable liquid level indicated in dotted lines in Fig. IV. As-shown in Figs. II, III, and IV, there aredownfiow and equalizing connections from the drum 2 to the lower headers 12,12, in the form of tubes 13, 13 connected into the lower side of said drum and into the upper portion of said headers at their rear ends outside the casing 1. The vapor spaces in the top ofthe drum 2 and of the upper headers l0, 10 are shown connected by curved tubes-14, 14 that take into the tops of said drum and headers about at the middle (Fig. II). The banks of tubes 11, 11 may `be secured against the sides of the casing 1 by `means of tie-rods or stays 15, 16 that interconnect tie-bars or clamp-plates 17 engaged on adjacent tubes. As shown, there are a couple of stays 15, near the upper ends of the tubes 11, 11, extending across through the interior of the casing 1 just below the drum 2, but well above the space occupied by the trays 4 (Figs. II, III, and IV). There are also a couple of stays 16, 16 at the lower Aends of the tubes 11, 11, eX- tending across below the bottom wall of the casing 1, at front and rear (Figs. II and IV).

As shown in Figs. I, III, and IV, the supply of liquid refrigerant (from any suitable compressor and condenser, not shown) enters through the front wall 6 ofthe drum 2 at 19, below the liquid level indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. IV. The refrigerant vaporized in the apparatus by the heat absorbed thereby may be withdrawn from the vapor space in the upper' portion of the drum 2 for return to the compressor (not shown) through any suitable connection, such as a pipe 20 (Figs. I and II).

The liquid refrigerant entering at 19 has a flow toward the rear end of the drum 2, whence part of it descends through the relatively small tubes 13, 13 into the lower headers 12, 12. From these headers 12, 12, the liquid ascends through the larger tubes 11, 11 to the upper headers 10, 10. In the drum 2, headers 12, 12, tubes 11, 11, and headers 10, 10, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat and vaporizes,-especially in the tubes 11, 11,-and the whole body of liquid in the apparatus is thus kept at a sufiiciently low refrigerating temperature. The vapor bubbles disengage from the liquid at its free surfaces in the drum 2 and the headers 10, 10. rlhe boiling of the liquid in the tubes 11, 11 produces a ready upward flow through them, and thus effectively maintains the circulation above described. rIhe walls of the drum 2 absorb heat from everything in the casing 1, thus maintaining an amply low freezing temperature there, and the tube banks 11, 11, etc., absorb heat from the space or chamber around the apparatus, thus cooling it. effectively. rThe absorption surfaces can easily be made of ample area, and the tubes 11, 11 large enough to afford room for free circulation of liquid and vapor.

In a compression-condensation-vaporizan tion system, suitable provision must, of course, be made for releasing the pressure on the liquid refrigerant. As shown in Figs. II-IV, this is done at an automatic valve 23 located within the drum 2, and controlled by a floatautomatically responsive to the liquid level in. 'the apparatus. 'Ihis float 24 is mounted on a rod 25 fixed to a part 26 pivoted at 27 between ears or lu s 28 on a part or structure 29 that will be urther described hereinafter. As shown in Fig. II, the valve 23 consists of a flat-ended cylindrical piece of suitable yielding material (cork) set flush vin a corresponding recess in the part 26, and the refrigerant outletor scat 30 with which this valve 23 cooperates has the form of a square-ended nipple projecting from a part of the structure 29. When the liquid level in the apparatus is high enough, the yielding cork surface at 23 ts square `and tight against the end of the nipple 30 and closes the latter completely against ingress of liquid. As the liquid in the apparatus boils away and its level falls, the float 24 descends and opens the valve 23 away from the seat 80, thus admitting more liquid until the former level is restored. The cork surface at 28 is particularly advantageous for acting as an Obturator in this fashion, maintaining a tight seal under very slight pressure from the buoyancy of the float 24.

As here shown, the valve 23 and outlet 30 are not located-adjacent the front end of the drum 2, where the supply connection 19 enters, but near its rear end.l From the connection 19, the liquid refrigerant passes rearward through an inner chamber 38 \vith in the drum 2, in the form of a large tube mounted in the front wall 6 and carrying at its rear end the structure 29, which serves as a rear end closure. The supply connection 19 opens into the front end of the tube 33 at the top, and the liquid passes from the rear end of the tube 33 to the outlet 30 through a downward sloping passage 34 also open into the upper portion of the tube. The tube 33 is located in the lower portion of the drum 2, so as to be substantially submerged in the liquid refrigerant in the latter when at the level normally maintained by the float 24.

In its slow passage rearward through the large tube 33, the liquid refrigerant (still under the relatively high pressure due to the compressor) is chilled below freezing by the liquid refrigerant (under comliaratively low pressure) surrounding the tube 33. Accordingly, any moisture which the refrigerant may happen to contain is frozen out and deposited in the bottom of the chamber 33 before the refrigerant reaches the passage 34 leading to the outlet` 30. rllhis entirely prevents any formation of ice crystals at the valve opening 30, where the reduction in pressure takes place, and thus obviates the interference with the proper working of the valve which results from the presence of such crystals that point.

Preferably, a refrigerant is employed which does not combine with water (e. g., ethyl chloride), rather than one (e. g., sulphur dioxide) which does form such a union.

With such a refrigerant, moisture is ei'ectually separated out by freezing, and is thus quite harmless.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1..A refrigerating device of the char'- acter described comprising a cooling chamber, external banks of upright evapor'ating tubes against its sides, and headers above and below the upper and lower corners ot' said chamber' connected to said tubes.

2. A retrigerating device of the character described comprising' a cooling chamber, eX- ternal banks of upright tubes against its sides, headers above and below the upper and lower' corners of said chamber connected to said tubes, and a liquid and vapor drum between the upper headers.

3. A refrigerating device of the char'acter described comprising a cooling chamber, banks of evaporating tubes at its sides, and transverse stays from bank to bank holding the banks against the chamber.

4. A refrigerating device of the character described comprising a cooling chamber with trays therein, headers above the upper corners of said chamber with banks of evaporating tubes at the sides of the chamber' connected to said headers, a liquid and vapor drum between said headers, and transverse stays from bank to bank below the trays and between the trays and said drum.

5. A refrigerating device of the character described, comprising a cooling chamber, banks ot.' evaporating tubes at its sides eX- posed to the atmosphere surrounding the ret'rigerating device, a drum receivingthe compressed and condensed refrigerant, and downflow means outside said chamber connecting said drum to the lower portions of said tube banks.

6, A refrigerating device of the character described comprising a cooling chamber' with a door at one end, banks of evaporating tubes at the sides of said chamber with upper and lower headers connected to their ends, a drum between the upper headers receiving the compressed and condensed refrigerant at one end of said drum, and downtlow means connecting the other end of said drum to the corresponding ends of the lower' headers.

7. A refrigerating device of the character' described comprising a drum receiving the compressed and condensed refrigerant, banks of evaporating tubes at either side of said drum, and downlow means connecting said drum to the lower portions of said tube banks.

8. A refrigerating device of the character' described comprising banks of upright evaporating tubes with uppeil and lower' headers connected totheir ends, a drum between the upper'- headers receiving the compressed and condensed refrigerant, and downlow means connecting said drum to the lower headers.

9. A refrigerating device of the character described comprising banks of upright evaporating tubes with upper and lower headers connected to their' ends, a drum between the upper headers receiving the compressed ard condensed refrigerant at one end, and downllow means comiecting the other end of said drum to the corresponf'ling ends of the lower headers.

10. A ret'rigerating device of the character described comprising a drum with a supply connection at one end for the compressed and condensed refrigerant, banksI ot evaporating tubes at either' side of said drum, an inner chamber' in said drum affording passage for the refrigerant from the end where it is supplied thereto toward the other end. with a control valve for the outlet 'from said chamber into the interior ot the drum, and means oiz downtiow connection i'rom the drum end 'toward which the refrigerant flows through said chamber to the lower portions ot' said tube banks.

ln testimony whereof. I have herr-nido signed my name at Buffalo, New York, this 15th day of July, 1926.

EUGENE L. BARNES. 

